With Valentine’s Day upon us, the stores around me are filled with pink and red heart-shaped candies, gifts, decorations, and anything else you can imagine. Pastel-colored romance stories are covering the walls of bookshops. The friends who love the hard, chalky candy-hearts with the inked messages on top are gearing up to start buying them in bulk. And those of us who dislike them, but still eat them, are again wondering what the difference is between those candies and sidewalk chalk.
Humor aside, many Christians can look at romance stories, the marketing craze of the holiday, and the obsession with emotional infatuation, and sadly grieve for the truer definitions of love and romance that have been replaced with the maxim: “follow your heart”.
With our cultural emphasis on romantic emotions, gender confusion, and inaccurate pictures of what marriage should be, young people are growing up in a world where what used to be “the norm” is now often the rarity. But the world shouldn’t be this way. And we as Christians know that.
Kids Are Facing Destructive Lies (And Maybe Romance Stories Can Help)
During my high school years, the question I received constantly was “what are you doing after graduation?”. There were never any skeptical looks or raised eyebrows to the “I’m going to college and pursuing a career” answer some of my girlfriends gave in response to this question. But the minute one of us dared to hint that our lifelong dream was to be a wife and mom… those eyebrows raised a lot higher.
In a culture where family, marriage, and gender are being redefined, misconstrued, and deformed, instilling a firm and unshakeable knowledge of God’s original design in our children is not only necessary for the foundation of the church, but also for the safety of our kids’ souls.
Children need to read romance stories. Not worthless tales that confuse gender roles, misconstrue the value of a family, and misinterpret the true beauty of traditional marriage. But stories that show God’s original design for romance as something that is true, precious, and worth pursuing.
Books that glorify pushing boundaries, reject God-given institutions, and encourage readers to “follow their hearts” only harm our young people. Already, the vast portion of our entertainment is inhaling Satan’s lies and exhaling content unhealthy for our spiritual maturity.
Books, games, movies. Nothing is an exception.
Which is why purposely choosing content that embraces truth, shuns wickedness, and actively battles the darkness is so important. Our children’s worldviews are shaped by what they read, so we must provide them with stories that paint an accurate picture of God’s beautiful design for men and women, the joy of true romance, and the lasting happiness of a faithful marriage.
So should kids (even the youngest ones) read romance stories?
Some of My Favorite Childhood Tales Were Wholesome Romance Stories
I grew up loving The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and reading it this past year only made me fall more in love with it. True, it’s the story of a little girl growing up in the 1800s, facing the trials and dangers of pioneer life, and eventually building a home of her own.
But it’s also a beautiful romance story that my mom was reading aloud to my family long before I fully understood that culture looks down on the “one-man, one-woman” ideals shown so preciously between Pa and Ma, Laura and Almanzo, and others in this series.
The Little House books are romance stories. Good, wholesome, God-glorifying romance stories. Little kids’ minds are impressionable. Feeding them only Disney-tainted content their entire childhoods could corrupt their images of what marriage and family should be. But good, wholesome romance stories? Those have the power to instill unshakeable ideals in children’s minds that will stay with them as they grow.
Another series that I had never fully read and finally finished this past year were the Sarah, Plain and Tall stories. Sure, it’s the story of one little girl accepting her father’s new wife as her new mom. But it’s also a romance story of a bride who gave up her life by the sea to come and care for a widowed man and his children, desperate for her care. It’s beautiful, precious, and it’s a true romance story.
Edifying Romance Stories Combat the Darkness
These are just two examples of stories that children for years have read and loved. And the families, marriages, and people in them are, sadly, often shunned by our modern culture.
But not all modern romance books have gotten it wrong. In fact, I compiled a list of 11 Romance Stories That Celebrate Traditional Families and, while there are quite a few classics on that list, there are a decent number of newer tales. If you’re looking for a new title to pick up this Valentine’s Day, recommend to a friend, or even read aloud as a family, be sure to check out that list.
Reading wholesome, edifying romance stories to children is one way of fighting back against the lies infiltrating little minds. Culture is often wrong about family, marriage, and gender. For the sake of the family, the church, and children’s souls, kids need to know the truth. The truth about gender that celebrates God’s beautiful design, families who lovingly submit to God’s authority, and marriages that paint a glorious picture of the future reunion of Christ and his church.
Reading stories, loving stories, and celebrating stories with traditional marriages, traditional families, and gracious acceptance of the roles God has given his people will empower the next generation. Contrary to what the mass media tells parents today, a Biblical perspective on gender, marriage, and family won’t be the ruin of our culture.
Rather, it will empower the next generation to take a stand against the devil’s destructive lies. And in doing so, it will show a world that desperately needs a Savior how beautiful true romance can be.
